Formula One world champion Nico Rosberg has blamed Ferrari after the team’s latest strategic failure led Carlos Sainz Jr. to a possible podium finish at the French Grand Prix.
Despite once again having the fastest car in this season’s race, the Scuderia forgot that driver Charles Leclerc crashed out over the weekend to win Max Verstappen.
Sainz, for his part, started from the back of the grid due to an engine penalty, but he recovered steadily and reached the podium.
With just 10 laps to go, he overtook Sergio Pérez’s Red Bull for third, but Ferrari oddly urged him to pit during the duel, after which he did.
Signals dipped and rallied until they finished fifth and scored bonus points for fastest lap, but the Spaniards expressed confusion and anger on the team’s radio call, drawing comment from fans and insiders.
One of them was Rosberg, whose 2016 title holders complained about Ferrari’s decision and summoned team principal Mattia Binotto.
“I was shaking my head like ‘what are they doing there?'” Rosberg told Sky Sports.
First of all, he was in a big fight on the track and his whole team was no longer looking, they were bending over to calculate the pit stop time and on the way up I was talking to him. Behind the wheels of the action there.
“What are you guys doing?”
Carlos was then P3 and was able to comfortably stay there, the tires would be fine until the end and he still had a chance to catch up with Lewis. [Hamilton] for P2. Then they brought him with no possibility of going past P5 and that’s where it ended.
“What’s going on there? Really, I think it’s time to make some changes. It’s a serious change.
“It’s a terrible decision and I can’t explain it. Matthias really needs to take this into account and make serious changes now.”
Sainz said he had actually accepted the post-race pit call, and the data showed his tires would not last to the end, but Ferrari’s tactical mistakes this season marked a key point in the championship battle. They should lead.
Instead, Verstappen leads Leclerc with 63 points after 12 races, Sainz is fourth and 89 behind the Dutch, and Ferrari is 82 behind Red Bull.
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Source: Metro
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